Beary Christmas | Ericka Strange

Hello everyone, Ericka here with one last Christmas card that hopefully gets mailed out tomorrow.
For my card today I used a mixture of Vibez sprays and Shimmerz paints along with this cute Christmas Bear from Reverse Confetti.

I started out by creating the background using the Reverse Confetti Stiched Burst Cover Die and then spraying the background with Vibez Glorious Day and Jeni B Bleu. I then used a Versamarker to make small dots in the middle of the star burst and gold heat emboss them. I love these two colors together and the gold Glorious Day is so pretty!

I then stamped the images on watercolor paper with Versafine ink and heat embossed them with a clear sparkle powder for some extra glittery shine.

I used the following Shimmerz and Creamz to paint up my images.

• Shimmerz - Coffee, Christmas Cheer, Royal Red, Sugar Plum, Ultra Marine
• Blingz - Spiced Cider
• Creameez - Lettuce Get Together
• Inklingz - Precious Posey

For more information about my card, feel free to stop by my blog Strangely Creative. I hope you have a wonderful shimmery Christmas and that it is filled with happiness.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget if you make a purchase, type in ERICKA in the comments and you'll receive a freebie with your order!

Skiing By | Ericka Strange

Hey Shimmerz fanz I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Ericka here with a cute Christmas card using the Pinkfresh Studio stamp Skiing By.

I love these cute little critters and the sparkle of all the Shimmerz Paints products is perfect for a snowy look.

I stamped the critters with Versafine ink and clear heat embossed them. I used Coffee Shimmerz on the bear and Dear John Inklingz on the bunny.

For my background I sprayed a piece of water color paper with Deep Blue Sea Vibez and another piece of watercolor paper with Elfin' Magic Vibez. I love this set especially since it has die cuts for the mountains, hills and snow caps.

I used Neenah Metallic paper for the snow and then adhered my scene using foam tape for dimension. For more information on how I created my card, check out my blog Strangely Creative.

That's all for me today. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget if you make a purchase on our new website, type in ERICKA in the comments and you'll receive a freebie with your order!

So Sappy Cosmos | Ericka Strange

Hey Shimmerz fanz happy Tuesday! Ericka here with another Color Challenge card I made using So Sappy Shimmerz paints. This month the Shimmerz Design Team has been playing with the Color Challenge which was to pick a color to use on our projects that we might not typically use. I love making cards with flowers and so I challenged myself to use the So Sappy on a card I would normally use bright colors.

For this card I was trying to go for a Sepia look.

I stamped the Cosmo background stamp from Simon Says Stamp on watercolor paper withe Versafine ink and heat embossed it with some Emerald Creek Just Java embossing powder.
I used the following Shimmerz products on my card:

Flowers - I started with a base of So Sappy Shimmerz. Once it was dry I used Spiced Cider for the shading and Antique Lace for highlights. I love these colors together. For the middle of the flowers I used Bumble Bee and Pumpkin.

Background - I wanted to added a deeper brown color so used Coffee Shimmerz and added a couple spritz of Jeni B Bleu to the card as well.

For the sentiment I used the same embossing powder and finished it up with some vellum behind the sentiment.

That's all for me today. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget if you make a purchase on our new website, type in ERICKA in the comments and you'll receive a freebie with your order!

You Are One Of A Kind

Hello! Super excited to be playing along for the Shimmerz Color Challenge, and here's my first layout.

I chose Coffee (love the name, color, and drink; Lol!) because I find it really hard to use browns as focal colors in my projects. This being said, I love this color now!

For this layout, not only did I step outside my comfort zone in terms of the focal color, I also pushed myself into making a masculine, nature-themed layout to document this picture from a few years ago of my husband (then my boyfriend) enjoying one of his hobbies.

Bearing in mind how brown is a color I struggle with, I also don't have a lot of patterned paper in this tine. Plus, I love color, I added blues and greens into mix by using the same colors/tonez from within the picture. I first began to work on my background. I dipped my brush into the Coffee pot (no pun intended) and started to draw vertical lines. Without waiting for it to dry, I ran a brayer over it and did the same thing only with horizontal lines. Splattered a few drops unto the background with the same color. Waited for it to dry and, using a "reptile skin" stencil and Jeni B Blue (Vibez), added a layer of teal to the background. Set the base aside again to dry and began to work on creating all the layer for the picture cluster.

I used a lot of different patterns in different tones of blue or green to layer in beneath my picture. Mixed in a bit of teal, but tried to stay between the blue and greens. Added a pop I did at a pop of brown right next to my picture tie in with the background. My picture/patterned paper cluster is set on 3D craft foam and the picture itself is also set on some craft foam. In the end, there are 2 layers beneath my picture.

Then I trimmed about maybe an inch on each side of the base a wonky matter and then distress the edges. In a way I wanted to recreate the idea of an old map. Beneath the first base, I placed a light blue pattern paper with rope design; I did this to continue with the masculine, nature-like vibe. With a brayer, I added a bit of In Deep (Coloringz) around the border and used a brayer to thin it out. Then added some splatters. Since the first base is light and the second base is white, I ran my brush with Coffee around the entire border of the second base. Did this also to further add on to the element of the distressed look.

Once everything was dry, I placed my patterned paper cluster onto my base with glue (I find it works better when adhering things on mixed media), and began finalizing the layout using embellishments in different tones of blues, greens and browns. Layered some green leaflets (leftover from another project) to give another "nature-y" element, added my journaling in blue marker and finished it all off with splatters in Coffee (Shimmerz) and  Oakie Dokie (Creameez)

3 words: I LOVE IT!! Hope you are inspired to make something like this, and thank you for looking! Remember, type my name in the comments section of your next Shimmerz order to receive some free paint.

Thank you once more for looking and happy craftin'!

- Lorimar

More Summer Fun | Ericka Strange

Hello Shimmerz Fanz and Happy Summer! I hope you are all enjoying the your summer and hopefully a more relaxing pace. Ericka here with a couple of cards I made using the free Summer Fun cut file shared on the Facebook page Shimmerz Paints Sharez. Hopefully you are already part of the group, if not click on the name above and join up for some fun giveaways, contest and challenges this Summer!

This cut file was so fun to play with and there are so many great ways to use it. For my first card I used the whole cute file and made a square card measuring 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". I wanted to use all of these fun designs and cut them on my Silhouette. Once they were cut, I used a variety of Shimmerz to paint the images. Check out the products below for a list of colors.

After my page dried, I removed the cut portions and used spray adhesive to adhere it to a white card base.

I was tempted to leave the card just like this since I didn't want to cover up any of these fun images. In the end I used an older cut file and added the sentiment using black vinyl and vellum.

For my second card, I used only half of the cute file and made a regular A2 card.

I traced out where I wanted to place the cute file on watercolor paper and then filled in the blocks with Shimmerz Bumble Bee, Pip Pip Cherry O, Peacock's Plum and Orange Sherbet.

I used the same sentiment for the card with black vinyl and vellum.

For my third card I used Spritz in Caribbean Sunset and Sapphire on watercolor card stock.

I sprayed the Caribbean Sunset and let the layer dried and then used the Sapphire. This cut file has so many great options.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to check out my blog Strangely Creative for more details. I hope you get a chance to snag this awesome file and make some fun summer projects.

Don't forget if you place an order with Shimmerz Paints to mention my name, Ericka Strange, in the comment section of the order for a fun freebie!

Shimmerz Paints Products Used:

Spritz - Sapphire	Sprtiz - Carribean Sunset	Shimmerz - Bubble Gum Blast	Shimmerz - Bumbly Bee
Shimmerz - Coffee	Shimmerz - Evergreen	Shimmerz - Jilted Jade	Shimmerz - Orange Sherbert
Shimmerz - Peacock's Plume	Shimmerz - Pip-Pip Cherry-O	Shimmerz - Roayl Red	Shimmerz - Royal Purple
Shimmerz - Sugar Plum	Shimmerz - Tickle Me Turquoise	Shimmerz - Wisteria Lane

Blessings in the Storm | Ericka Strange

Hello Shimmerz fans, Ericka here again with a rainy day watercolor card. I don't know about you, but here in Texas we've had our fair share of rain over the last couple of weeks. This cute set from Shimmerz called Blessing in the Storm is the perfect reminder to look on the bright side of things.

And isn't this dog is the cutest? And the sentiments are so fun!

I stamped the image in InkOn3 Fadeout ink so that I could try my hand at no line watercoloring. I started with spraying a little Chick-a-dee Spritz on my pallet and painted the yellow portions. I also used a little orange on my pallet to give a little more shading to the darker areas. Once that portion dried, I used 1 Hot Mama Creameez for the rest of her outfit the cute boots!

I used Shimmerz in Evergreen for the grass and the rain and puddles were Shimmerz Tickle Me Turquoise. I added a couple of rain drops so that it would be more realistic of Texas rainfall lol. Coffee Shimmerz was the perfect color for my little dog. To finish the card, I did a light wash with Steely Blue Inklings for the sky.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if its rainy, wear your cute boots!

Don't forget today is a 24 hour FLASH sale! 24 hours to take 25% off your order when you use promo code: MAYFLASH at checkout. This code is only good for ONE day. So if you place an order mention my name, Ericka Strange, in the comment section of the order and you will also get a fun freebie!

*Codes cannot be used towards sequins, Dotz or Color Kitz. Limit one code per order. This discount may not be used with any other promotions or free product offers provided by Shimmerz Paints. Orders come in a first come, first serve basis. Codes cannot be rain checked for another time or another purchase*

Shimmerz Paints Products Used:

Blessings in the Storm	Spritz - Chick-a-Dee	Creameez - 1 Hot Mama	Inklingz - Steely Blue Eyes
Shimmerz - Coffee	Shimmerz - Evergreen	Shimmerz - Tickle Me Turquoise